Eight people killed in shooting at shopping mall in Allen, Texas

A law enforcement officer walks as people are evacuated from a shopping centre where a shooting occurred Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas, the US. [LM Otero/ AP]

Police in the United States report that a shooter opened fire on a crowded shopping centre north of Dallas, killing eight people and injuring at least seven others.

A police officer shot and killed the attacker, who investigators think was acting alone, on Saturday after he started firing outside of the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas, according to the police.

At a news conference earlier on Saturday, city police chief Brian Harvey stated, "He heard gunshots, went to the gunshots, engaged the suspect, and neutralised the suspect."

He then requested ambulances as well.

At least nine individuals with gunshot wounds were sent to nearby hospitals, Allen Fire Department Chief Jon Boyd stated at the same press conference.

At a second news conference on Saturday night, Boyd revealed that two of the patients passed away at the hospital.

He stated that four casualties were stable and three victims were in serious condition.

Eight patients between the ages of 5 and 61 are being treated, according to a written statement from Medical City Healthcare, a medical group in the Dallas region.

Shoppers evacuate as law enforcement officers respond to a shooting in the Dallas area’s Allen Premium Outlets in this still image from video [ABC Affiliate WFAA via Reuters]

Fontayne Payton, 35, told the Associated Press news agency that he was at the H&M store when he heard the sound of gunshots through the headphones he was wearing.

“It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside,” Payton said.

People in the store scattered before employees ushered the group into the fitting rooms and then a lockable back room, he said. When they were given the all-clear to leave, Payton saw the store had broken windows and a trail of blood to the door. Discarded sandals and bloodied clothes were laying nearby.